News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-08
THE WIDOW OF BARRIOS.
a Romantic Story OF the GuatemA'
liam Dictator.

The dark complexioned lady with
many children around her IN the car
riaoe attracts many chances says New
mort correspondent. Her eyes are
LARGE. dark and alternate with Spanish
lanGuor and fire. She is Sonora Bar
rios, the widow of the late dictator of
Guatemala. Sonora Barrios occupies
the Kane villa, on the wooded knoll
on Bath road overlooking the sea.
The ladvs face is sad. Perhaps she
thinks of the old life in Guatemala city.
| Certainly her lines are cast in pleasant
places here. Society has taken her up
with strong clasp. The luncheon Civ
enby Miss Deary the other day in her
honor drew together some of the lead
ers of the New York upper world. Sc
nora BarriOs was an heiress in Guate-
mala and much younger than the mill
tary ruler of the so-called Republic,
who was her husband. Barrios was
very much in the position of Louis XIV.
when he insisted that he was the State.
It was with power over life, death and
property that the Dictator ruled the
Guatemalans. 1t is said that Barrios
saw the pretty dark-eyed heiress and
admired her. To admire and to WOO
was sufficient. The marriage was ar
ranged without ado, and it proved a
happy one. The Dictator became very
fond of his young wife, and he treated
her with great kindness.
s'You see, Barrios wasn't bad fell
low, after all" said an acquaintance
who had seen Sonora Barrios in her
native land. ''He had to rule in the
manner best suited to the country [
b
Guatemala according to the constitu-
tuition. They would fire him out in
less than month. Let me tell you
story of how he did things. There was
a young fellow in Guatemala, foreign
er, bright, well educated man, who
wrote some articles on the country,
published abroad, in which he
told the truth about BarTios,
but at the same time was just
and gave the autOarat credit for all his
good points and the general reform he
inaugurata1 When Barrios read the
account of his own doings he became
interested and took steps to meet the
writer He offered him a position in the
government, but the recipient of his
favor was engaged in looking up some
mining scheme and declined. One day
Barrios sent a request that the young
man should visit him at once at the pal
ace. To hear was to obey, for file Of
soldiers would have accompanied the
second invitation. When he reached
the palace Barrios received him with
stern face. You have heard of a man
looking as black as thundercloud
Well, Barrios would look that way when
he wished to make an impression.
g :tSener,' he said, 4 hear you do not
lead amoral life here in my capital.
You are too fond of the ladies. You are
notconstant. I have watched you. [
like you. L would do you favor. [
wish you to marry. Come to me next
week (naming Il time) and I will present
you to a young lady whom you will
marry with all due regard to your hon
or. Trust me and come. Buen0s di0S,
SENIOR
'You may imagine that there was an
astonished young man seen to leave the
presence of the dictator. When he
reached his lodgings he thought the
matter over, and concluded to trust the
potentate who had taken such pecu-
liar method of bestowing favor. Ac-
cordingly he presented himself at the
appointed time. The dictator received
him with bland smile, and led him into
the presence of two ladies in black. One
was young, with big, black eyes and
long Spanish hair. The other lady was
her mother. Barrios introduced them,
and told his protege that he had best be
married at once. The young man was
charmed by the appearance of the girl,
and agreed without murmur. Ba1Tios
would not tell him who his bride was
until after the wedding. Then he an
nounced that the young lady was an
heiress and owned big coffee hacienda
and other property. The marriage
turned out very happily. Queer fellow,
that Barrios."